"Discord, there you are!" Luna yelled as she galloped over to them, "Commander," She greeted with a polite nod and smile.

"Lady Luna," Hurricane returned with his usual impassiveness before heading on, "I'll let you get the Guardian up to speed, Lord Discord."

"Oh? Did we miss something?" Luna asked curiously, looking around in concern as she saw some injured and shivering ponies among the now-full population of the three tribes.

"Oh, not much. I saved a couple hundred ponies, possibly prevented a new war between the tribes and as a bonus? I made a new species!" Discord explained with mock-casualness.

"..." Luna stared at him for a moment before blinking, "You're...serious? By buck, we can't even leave you alone for a morning, can we?" Luna asked in disbelief.

"You can, it's just ill advised," Discord joked with a smirk, looking around in search of something, "Where is that sister of yours? I thought I'd see her a mile away?"

"She's with Starswirl and the Order, heading for the Meeting Table as well, but for different reasons," Luna explained with a smirk of her own, "We have a surprise for you as well."

"Ohh, already giving me presents? Really, Loony, you're spoiling me!" He teased back.

"You have no idea," Luna said mysteriously.

"Hmm?" Discord asked, stroking his beard as she trotted on smugly, "If it is a prank, there shall be war," He murmured to himself before following after her.

As he went, he couldn't help noticing quite a few ponies whispering as he went by. Only when he glanced at them, most of them smiled or waved or nodded.

Was there a saying about saving a pony's life and having a friend forever? If not, there should be.

Or maybe not just yet, he mentally backpedaled, seeing a few looks of fears or eyes averting his gaze, even a couple of subtle glares.

It's easy to forget how xenophobic ponies could be sometimes and pre-Equestria was some of the worst times in that regard; justifiably, but still.

"Lord Discord~" Came a voice with a deliberate drawl to the tone.

He stopped just short of where the area of the Meeting Table was located before glancing to his right to see Lily Frost waltzing up to him, her gaze half-lidded as she flicked her green hair over her cloak.

To him, it was a bit interesting yet still forgettable how physical modesty was apparently a dying trend with ponies. In just ten centuries, going naked or mostly naked would likely be the norm, same as the other timeline. But for now everypony wore a cloak, a shirt, a dress, or armor in public.

"Hello, Frosty," He greeted with a small smirk, wondering what she was up to, "Here for the meeting?"

"Among other things," The mare answered, eyeing him up and down for a second-or right to left, since he was floating.

"Well, you better get a seat, because this might turn into a loooong show," He forewarned, getting a curious look from her.

"...Is this about Canner Pass?" She asked in concern. Unlike others, she had taken the time to overhear gossip and such on her way here. The rumors painted bad news, but an interesting image of Discord if even some of the things were true.

"You have no idea," Discord murmured as he continued on into the guarded area around the head tent, the mare following him in. Either because of himself or knowing who Lily was, the guards didn't make a move to stop her.

Discord was neither surprised or thrilled by what he saw, but it still amused him on some level.

It was utter ponidemonia around the table, really. Platinum was waving her hooves about and making wild yet somewhat justified accusations against the pegasi in general, Puddinghead was either berating or questioning what Discord assumed were the unicorn and earth pony soldiers in command of guarding the migration, Silkdial was trying to keep the Chancellor calm for some reason, Clover the Clever was actually in a screaming contest with Starswirl while Coppercode held her back, Count Lumen was TRYING to get some answers from Private Pansy over the commotion, Celestia sat resigned to the madness around her and Luna looked so lost that she almost seemed scared.

The only truly calm ones were Nodus Style, standing at the sidelines with a fake smile as he watched the train wreck that inter-tribal relations was steadily becoming and Commander Hurricane, content to stand like a statue until they wore themselves out. The fact he was standing on Discord's side of the table, opposite of his fellow leaders, spoke highly of how Hurricane viewed this situation.

Ponies losing their heads. No matter how much he tried to be good, it was still entertaining to watch. At least now he intended to help get things under control if he was needed.

Considering civil war was on the line, he was very much needed.

Without a sound, Discord materialized his throne at the table and floated into it. He raised his talons to snap away their mouths...but stopped as he realized that they had all fallen silent, looking at him with surprised looks. Well, it was nice to know he could get their attention so easily.

Still, best not to let their attention slip, "Oh no, don't mind me. Do carry on, I'm sure things will get better if you yell long and hard enough," He mocked lightly, idly noting Lily Frost taking a place to the right of his throne, opposite of Hurricane.

If he were anypony else, that line would have started another shouting match. As it was, all of them had nothing to say or bit back their words to the one that saved a good portion of their tribes.

"For future references, it is nota good thing when I am the voice of reason," Discord added on flatly as he held up a can of soda and opened it, a small stream of orange bubbles flying out afterward.

"Leave us," Puddinghead ordered to the soldiers she had been questioning, obviously still displeased with them. They left without a word, equally unhappy for their own reasons. Mainly shame, if Discord had to guess.

"I want him dead," Platinum stated factually, nearly frothing at the mouth, "I want that sarding pigeon-back of a mule's head on a pike."

"And I would just love to replace the core with spaghetti and meat balls, but I prefer not to deal with the complications that would cause," Discord retorted casually before taking a sip of his fizzy drink.

"...What core?" Luna asked with a scowl.

Had ponies even figured out the world was round yet? Not important, so Discord pressed on and raised an eyebrow at royal unicorn, "For the record, how up to speed are you all? And which him are you referring to?"

"I'm talking about this flankhole's Lieutenant!" Platinum roared, slamming both hooves on the table. Discord said nothing. That was rather interesting, really. He didn't take spoiled Platinum to be so riled up over this, at least not this much.

"Platinum, calm your withers already!" Starswirl snapped as he walked up to the table, Clover still seething at his side while Platinum turned to the wizard in outrage but held her tongue nonetheless. Now just what had the student-master duo been fighting about? "We know that this Arcus fellow pretty much abandoned a LOT of ponies after they were buried in snow once some Bugbears showed up."

"The earth pony and unicorn soldiers were completely cut off after the avalanche and couldn't even attempt to help," Puddinghead added in with a frown, "Everypony trapped in there was left to die."

"We-well...until you saved them, that is, Lord Discord," Pansy offered with a smile.

Discord hummed at that. They knew that Arcus was responsible but not to what degree. Good; that would make things easier for now.

"How exactly did you do that?" Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow, "The account of it isn't entirely...reliable."

Discord raised an eyebrow, wondering when they had time to question Meshen and Gust...and why was Puddinghead glaring at Celestia?

Either way, he snapped his claws...

Flashback

"Paaaapa! Paaaapa! Where are you, Papa!?"

The earth colt's desperate cries echoed over the new border of the Frozen North, the nigh-windless clear skies leaving nothing to interfere with his call for his father.

The young pony with a soft brown coat stepped through steep snow, engulfing his short legs with every step, "Papa!" He yelled again, looking around the steep bowl-shaped area he was in. With a sniff, he stopped, "Where'd everyp-"

(Too far back, fast-forward! CLICK)

The insect-mammal crossbreeds actually blinked before they realized that now they were the ones not alone.

With a roar of fright, they found themselves quickly and violently lifted into the air by...snow.

Looking down, they found both of them were in the grip of tentacles made completely of snow, connected to a...giant octopus made entirely of snow.

The two ponies watched dumbstruck as the creature of sentient snow crawled rapidly over to a catapult, which had never been there, before cranking it back and throwing the two beasts into the catapult.

"Now," Discord said, as he appeared with a flash, right in front of the bears…

(Little bit more! CLICK)

The glass shattered in his claws, the glass turning to dust in midair and the milk into something foul and bile.

Then he stood up. He didn't float or teleport, he just rose.

He looked away for a moment, almost in thought, before looking at the equine with a shaky smile. Not a shakiness of fear though.

"You know, I find myself at a loss," Discord said in a too-calm voice, snapping his tail to send the throne hurtling off to one side in pieces. "In all my long life, I have managed to-

(Sard, I pressed skip! BACKBACKBACK!)

Gust eyed the horn-cup skeptically, but figuring he had little to lose, he grasped it with one hoof and took a cautious sip. The pony stopped, blinked and gulped down the rest in one go, "...Why does it taste like cherries?" He couldn't help but ask as a numbing relief buzzed through him.

"Lucky, I always taste swamp water." Discord mock pouted with his arms crossed.

"...Thank you," Gust said after a moment as he stood back up, "Is there any chance your...friend over there could help us? There are a lot more ponies under the snow," Gust asked grimly as he glanced over at the Arctopus…which was currently tearing apart and eating the catapult with vigor.

"...The snow monster eats wood?" Meshen asked slowly.

"It's made of chocolate now," Discord informed offhoofedly before grinning, "And I have a better idea!"

(Finally!)

Next thing the ponies know, they were on one of the hilltops, overlooking the pass- and Hank, for that matter was still eating his chocolate catapult. Chocopult?

Gust turned around, finding their apparent savior standing a few paces from them, his arms impossibly deep into a small square object of some sort, made of a flimsy brown material, "...What is that?" Gust asked curiously.

Discord blinked, looking to the stallion before following his gaze, than glancing back at him, "It's a box?" He answered in a questioning, obvious tone.

"Made of...?" Gust prompted with a wave of his hoof.

"Oh, right, you ponies haven't made this stuff yet: Its cardboard," Discord answered before grinning as he pulled out what looked to Gust to be three rectangular mirrors attached together, "And this is how I deal with snow; Today at least," He mused as he approached them.

Meshen, who had been engrossed with watching the giant Arctopus, jumped slightly as Discord placed the mirrors firmly right in front of him. He looked up to see Discord's lion paw ruffling his head.

"Hold this up for me, Kiddo," He instructed, not even giving the colt time to register before pulling away. The young earth pony frantically shot up, hooking his front hooves over the top of the mirror to keep it upright. He was just big enough to peek over the top and see what was happening.

Everything seemed normal for a moment, then his eyes went wide with awe as the snow began to melt- quickly too, the firm white powder turning mushy and lumpy, "Woooooow," Meshen said quietly.

Gust had to agree, personally, but he did spot a problem, "I think your...snow-thing is in trouble," He informed without looking away. After a moment of silence, he turned and found Discord's talon elbow deep in...the puff of his own tail, somehow.

"Oh, right, forgot about Hank," Discord realized, snapping his lion claw, making the melting Arctopus appear nearby, "Sorry about...that?" Discord started half-heartedly, only to blink as he saw that the snow-cephalopod was observing three tentacles made of water it was now sporting, still connected to its snow-body with only a small section of ice between them.

"Was it supposed to do that?" Meshen asked, staining to look over his shoulder at the creature of snow and water.

"It wasn't not supposed to," Discord answered curiously as he pulled out a hairdryer from his tail. With a grin, Discord aimed it above Hank for a quick test.

*WOOSH!*

"WHAT THE SARDING SARD!" Gust yelled as he jumped back in shock, staring in disbelief as fire poured out of the object like it was a dragon's maw.

"Bit too much," Discord mused with shades over his eyes, turning a tiny dial on the side, replacing the inferno with hot air. He turned his attention to Hank, who was now all water, "Huh, you're an Aquapus now! Rad!" He joked with a grin, waving his pinkie and thumb talon about before turning back to the valley below.

By now, the valley was starting to flood a bit while ponies tried to pull themselves out of the melting snow. The tops of several domed shields of varying colors could be seen, indicating some unicorns had tried to save themselves and others. Without another word, he aimed the drier at the valley.

Miraculously or chaotically rather, the liquid started to evaporate without boiling, even off the coats and mains of the ponies.

With a satisfied smirk, Discord let off the trigger and blew imaginary smoke off the end of the device. He glanced down at Private Gust, staring at him in awe and disbelief...and looking to the hair drier repeatedly.

'...Buck. Ponies don't have hair driers yet, so now he's going to think this is some kind of mystic device,' Discord realized, not sure to be amused or annoyed by that. Amuyed? Annosed? 'I am sooooo going to buck up the minds of these ponies! And I'm not even trying...mostly.'

With a shrug, he tossed it over his shoulder, landing it in the cardboard box...which closed shut and fell apart, revealing an empty interior. "Well, time to get to work!" He declared with a snap of his tail, reappearing down below amongst the ponies...

Flashback End

From an outside perspective, all the ponies present had glowing eyes of moving colors, staring blankly in frozen positions. With the sound of a film roll running out, the glow faded away as they all started to blink and shake away the stuffy feeling of the memory-dump.

"And that's about all the interesting bits," Discord explained, shocked faces staring at him numbly. They only barely registered the bubbles of soda around him, "I patched up a few of the really injured ones, then teleported them all here and kindly hurried everypony else to get off their flanks and help tend to the wounded," He explained before looking thoughtful, "Oh, yeah, and I let Hank go free to start his own race of Artcopi," he added on with a grin.

"...How?" Puddinghead asked slowly.

"Well, I did make it so that each of his tentacles will fall off and form another like him, but only once per tentacle," Discord elaborated with a dismissive hand wave.

"Not that! How did you just...show us all that!" Puddinghead reiterated, her mind still reeling a bit from processing....that.

"Yes, that was most uncomfortable," Platinum agreed, adjusting her crown out of habit and nerves.

"Oh, that? I just planted a third-person version of my memories in your minds, right in the part regulated to recording current events into memory," Discord explained with a shrug.

"Okay, at least stop pretending you don't realize how impressive and alarming stuff like that is," Luna requested flatly.

"Would you have rather I done it through theater?!" Discord asked, in an instant donning a Shakespearean outfit covered with frills and ruffles and striking a faux-dramatic pose.

Several of the ponies fought down snickers at his appearance, "Yes!/Yes/Yes?" Pansy, Platinum, Puddinghead, Clover and Silkdial all answered in various ways.

"Certainly makes keeping secrets easier and giving reports," Hurricane noted stoically.

"And saves time- how long were we...watching that?" Starswirl asked curiously.

"About a minute or two," Discord answered as he dematerialized his suit, "Now that we're all caught up to speed, what the buck are all you yelling about?"

"The guards for abandoning their comrades and tribe mates," Puddinghead answered in a stony voice.

"The pegasi for running off at the first sign of trouble," Platinum elaborated with a snort.

"Clover and I had a...disagreement about how to handle this matter, is all," Starswirl answered, glaring at his student who glared back.

Discord stared at them all for ten long seconds, the soda bubbles popping as he did so, before he did something even he wasn't fully expecting.

He clapped.

It wasn't thunderous applause, but slow, echoing, sarcastic smacks of the palms, "Congrats. I left you all alone for less than twenty minutes, you're already at each other's throats for the slightest reasons and the only calm ones are from the tribe you are accusing," Discord mock praised.

"Of course they're calm! They orchestrated this travesty!" Platinum accused hotly even as Puddinghead wavered a bit from the insult.

Hurricane subtly glanced at Discord, wondering just how he planned to expl-

"At this point, it doesn't really matter if they did."

The entire area went dead silent at that pronouncement, while Discord scowled; even Hurricane looked a little taken back.

"...What did you just say?" Celestia asked in disbelief, wishing she had heard her "friend" wrong just now, "How...how can you just say that the lives of those ponies don't matter!?"

"Guardian," Lily Frost spoke up coldly, before Discord could retort, "Shut your trap."

"Lily?!" Silkdial and Coppercode yelled in shock as Celestia and Luna stared. It had been a long time since any mortal had spoken to them in such a manner, save perhaps Starswirl.

"Lord Discord obviously cares about the lives of ponies or we would be preparing a mass funeral for corpses instead of treating the wounded," Lily pointed out factually, "Perhaps you should listen to what he is actually saying instead of making your own conclusions, Celestia."

'Someone is trying to win brownie points quickly,' Luna, Celestia, and the rest of Asterordo thought with sweat-drops.

Discord, all the while, stared down at the unicorn that came to his defense in utter surprise. Of all the unexpected things he might have imagined, this was not on the list. She caught his stare and gave him a small smile. Filing that away for later, he turned his attention back to the group, "Listen to Frosty, Mares and Gentlecolts," He suggested with a grin, patting her on the head- and making sure she wasn't drunk, mind controlled, or drugged to be on the safe side. Interestingly, he found none, "As I was saying, it doesn't really matter because, if the pegasi did plan this, they've already paid for it," Discord informed confidentially.

"What are you talking about?" Clover asked, very curious now.

Discord's tail stretched high into the air above him and grabbed a string that led to...nowhere...and pulled it down to reveal a large chart with the image of an ancient scroll on it, depicting a scoreboard with four columns. At the top in big bolded letters was the title "Death Board" and the columns were labeled as Pegasi, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Others.

Others got many odd looks, but he didn't give them time to question it.

"Baring the now-unlikely event of more dying from their injuries, these are how the death toll pans out," Discord started off, allowing himself to be appropriately grim for this, "Twenty-seven ponies died out there, mostly to Bearbees. Five of them were earth ponies, all soldiers that died to Bearbees," He paused as five tally marks appeared in the specified column, "Unicorns lost two troops and a mare to bugbears, one guard and one noble from magical exhaustion caused by holding up the shields under the snow, one elderly mare to the avalanche itself, and one stallion died choking on a snack- I'm not even joking on that one," He assured with a dry smirk as the unicorns gained seven marks, "The pegasi, in comparison, lost fifteen in all: Seven were soldiers, the other eight were the ones that the Bearbees caught when they tried to fly away. Three of them were kids: One filly, one foal and one tiny little foal died in the mother's hooves," Discord finished, crossing his arms and leaning back in his throne as the third set of marks appeared on the board, "Shall I go on and start listing off names?" He offered as he observed them all with a cold look in his eyes.

Puddinghead look properly reprimanded while Platinum looked away with a conflicted look on her face, clearly not quite ready to give up her crusade. Celestia and Luna had sad, tearful looks of...shame and regret. They were blaming themselves, but he'd deal with that after this. The rest just bowed their heads in respect for the dead. Except Hurricane, who was making an almost convincing show of pretending like he wasn't quivering with rage. Pansy's comforting hoof on his as she stood next to him probably had something to do with it.

"...What exactly does this prove?" Platinum asked begrudging, still not making eye contact.

"That either the pegasi did plan this and instantly received karma for it, suffering more casualties than the other two tribes combined or this is simply a tragedy for all that you two are now exploiting," Discord answered frostily, continuing on before Platinum could make her own rebuttal, "More to the point!...Pudding? Could you tell me who informed both yourself and Platinum that they suspected something went wrong with the migration?" Discord asked, keeping his eyes on Platinum.

"...Commander Hurricane," Puddinghead answered with a scrunched eyebrow.

"And do you believe said Commander was pretending to be suspicious and concerned over the early arrival of the tribes?" Discord asked pointedly.

Puddinghead paused to stare at the pegasi leader, who gave her nothing back, "...No. Hurricane doesn't act beyond being a stone wall. If he was suspicious, he didn't know what happened," She agreed with a sigh, speaking from years of knowing the stallion in the worst of diplomatic relationships.

"And concern speaks for itself," Discord added on, "So, if it just so happens that all this is a grand scheme by the pegasi, then not only did it backfire oh so fantastically, but also it seems their own leader wasn't aware of it. Any want to protest that?" He asked, actually daring them to give him something else to shoot down. Luckily, none did.

"Not to add fuel to the fire?" Luna spoke up, pausing briefly to get their attention, "But why is it that you have not said a word in your defense, Commander Hurricane? I have never known you to let anyone fight your battles for you?" She asked curiously, finding his silence rather strange.

"What would you have me say, Lady Luna?" Hurricane asked, almost sounding tired behind that unchanging expression of his, "Either my soldiers are scheming under my snout or they fled from a fight they couldn't win? Which one of these two, probably Platinum, will translate into either a lack of competency in me, suggesting I pass on my position, or my soldiers, calling their training and discipline into question," He pointed out bitterly.

Platinum didn't even bother to deny the accusation, choosing instead to just glare lightly at the pegasi commander with a huff.

"I'll be very annoyed if I have to explain why those are both horrid opinions to express in this situation. Somepony else do it, I've made enough sense for the day," Discord requested as he pressed the formerly-empty soda can to his head. He really didn't care they didn't see it had frozen chocolate-milk inside of it.

Besides, he wasn't going to do all their thinking for them.

"Well...obviously, insulting the soldiers also insults the seven that died facing the bugbears...and adds salt to fresh wounds in general, generating resent among the pegasi," Coppercode answered awkwardly.

"But why would doubting Commander Hurricane's ability be bad, exactly?" Clover asked with a raised eyebrow," No offense, Sir," She added on quickly. The pegasus stallion just nodding, knowing it was a purely intellectual question in this instance.

"...Because that gives grounds for ponies in his ranks to push for just that, a new commander," Celestia summarized with a grim look on her face, "Unless I'm incorrect, your second in command is fairly popular amongst your tribe and the leader of the pegasi soldiers that were guarding the tribes when the bugbears attacked."

Discord couldn't stop the pleased grin on his face if he wanted to, 'Well, heeeeello, Celestia! There's that brilliant mind of yours,' He thought, relishing this moment a bit. Grim Celestia just wasn't the same or as fun if she wasn't on some level of chess-master, even if it was only a budding one in this case.

The rest of the ponies grew silent, looking between Celestia and the pegasi in shock, "Wait, are you implying that your Lieutenant-?" Count Lumen started with wide eyes as the pieces were finally all present and falling together.

"We're not implying anything," Discord stated sharply, crushing the can flat into nonexistence, ""I" am saying get the facts straight and actually think about what things mean before dropping accusations like lemon cards," He stated with a frown, "Seriously, you lot should have been worried about getting everypony accounted for and well, than looking into foalplay."

"...He's right," Puddinghead conceded with a bowed head, "We're so use to blaming one thing or another on each other and we've come to do it on instinct. Instead of a tragedy, all we could see was a conspiracy," She admitted before looking to Hurricane, "Commander, you have my apologies. My behavior has been highly unbecoming, both as the elected leader of Earth Ponies and a representative of a supposed ally," She apologized solemnly.

Hurricane really did stink at acting. A foal could see how his eyes widened and his jawline became loose, while his wings rested much more at ease by his sides, "...Apology accepted, Chancellor," he answered, and even his voice sounded pleasantly surprised.

After a peaceful silence, all gazes fell upon Princess Platinum. She looked away for a moment before facing Discord and Hurricane again, "...What about this Lieutenant?" She asked, still intending to see if a pound of flesh couldn't be gained from this.

"What about him?" Hurricane asked, already expecting this question but decided to let them lead the conversation. He hated politics.

"What? Are you saying you'll do nothing against him?" Puddinghead asked in disbelief.

"On what grounds?" Hurricane asked with a raised eyebrow.

"How about failure to complete his task?!" Platinum suggested vocally.

"Because unless you have proof otherwise, punishing an officer for saving and protecting the lives he could instead of continuing a hopeless situation is not the actions of a good Commander or a wise Queen."

Everypony turned to stare at the newcomer to their tent, all except a frozen Platinum.

From the entrance emerged a unicorn in his late prime, the brilliance of his golden mane and silver coat withstanding time well and only blemished by old scars. The cloak upon his back was black with a line of faux fur colored as purple and red stripes. Upon his head was a golden crown, simpler than Platinum's, but grand none the less. His eyes were a striking solid white that made him appear to have only pupils.

As this stallion trotted forward, all eyes were fixed squarely on him, Discord's included. Said Draconequus smirked as he saw the respect and slight fear that even Starswirl himself had in his golden eyes. Luna and Celestia, to their credit, looked more uncertain than scared as the unicorns bowed in respect to the newcomer

"...King Bullion," Hurricane greeted with a nod of acknowledgment and respect for the warrior-king.

"I'm glad to see you're well, your majesty," Puddinghead welcomed as well.

"Arise, my friends and subjects," Bullion address with a small smile as he stood next to the still unmoving Platinum. If he had a bit more facial hair, it'd probably look perfectly grandfatherly. As the unicorns rose, he turned his attention to the other tribe leaders, "Hurricane, Puddinghead. You have my condolences. I'm sorry that I couldn't have made a difference in this situation," He offered sincerely with a nod, which they returned after looking briefly surprised. With that done, he looked towards Platinum, staring at her unceasingly.

Slowly, the mare looked up and she was clearly not a princess anymore, but a daughter worried she had disappointed her father, "F-father, I thought you were resting sti-"

Platinum never got to finish, as King Bullion embraced her with a smile, "I'm so happy you're safe," He whispered in her ear as he held her tight. The princess took only a moment to melt into his embrace and return it earnestly.

If anypony thought now was an inappropriate time for a family moment, they kept it to themselves. After another second, Bullion broke the embrace and turned to the Alicorns, "Lady Luna, Lady Celestia? Guardians or not, thank you for watching over my subjects and daughter, along with the rest of the tribes and their leaders," He thanked with a nod.

"It was no trouble at all, King Bullion," Luna assured with a smile, Celestia nodding in agreement.

"We only wish we had been there to protect those that needed us," Celestia added on sorrowfully.

"Aye, and if you had ventured back to protect us, the forward party might been attacked and we would have come into a trap while tired and weary from travel. Leaving me without a daughter and the other two tribes in need of new leaders," Bullion retorted with a knowing smile, telling them to stop doubting their decisions, "Besides, I hear you've both been busy..." he mused, casting his gaze to the Draconequus on the horned throne.

Discord smirked with his chin in his eagle palm, talons tapping against his chin as he and the king stared at each other, "Well, well, if its isn't Papaking himself," Discord greeted playfully. He received several looks of disbelief and pleading at that, mostly form the Alicorns and unicorns.

"Lord Discord," Bullion addressed evenly as he walked to the side of the table, eyeing the chimeric entity. The air was thick as the two titans sized each other up. Discord really did wish he had met this stallion last time around. He would have been a grand opponent, "I've heard much about you."

"Oh? And just who is telling stories about little old me?" Discord asked with a grin...before blinking as something nudged his leg. He looked down under the table, getting the curiosity of the others, "What the buck?" He asked in surprise, reaching down to his feet and pulling up...

"Meshen!?" Puddinghead hissed in disbelief and alarm.

"When did you get here, Meshen?" He asked curiously, holding the little one up with both paws. And filling away how the Chancellor knew him as a question for later.

The earth colt grinned as everyone else stared at him, except for the amused King Bullion, "Me and Gust have been telling the Horn King how you saved everypony from the Bearbees and snow, Lord Cord," He answered happily.

"You're only calling me that because it sounds funny," Discord accuesed with a teasing grin.

"Huh? I thought your name was Dis Cord?" Meshen asked with a confused head tilt.

'...Meshen is best colt, end of discussion,' Discord thought with a deadpan tone in his head, infinitely amused, "It is for you, kiddo," He answered with a chuckle, letting go of him in midair. Someponies, notably Puddinghead, gasped in alarm...before seeing the wide eyed colt floating weightlessly where he had been held. Discord smirked, waving his finger to the left with a twirl to it, making the young pony move in said direct with a small spin.

Everypony couldn't help watching the colt moving slowly but helplessly through the air in pure defiance of gravity, until he was plucked out of the air by a grey wing, "Told you he'd do something like that," Gust scolded playfully as he put the child on his back while standing near an amused Bullion, the pegasi soldier nodding afterward at Discord and Hurricane.

"Hehe, that was fun," Meshen answered with a wide grin on his face, before turning to wave at the earth pony leader. Puddinghead gave an exasperated sigh but smiled and waved back none the less.

'A unicorn king, a pegasus soldier, and an earth colt. Didn't see that one coming,' Discord noted in interest. Saying this had potential was like saying Pinkie Pie was hyper. AKA, obvious to the power of drop-dead-stupid.

Bullion chuckled at the youthful antic before turning back to their host, "I've heard the stories around the camp and these two painted a very vivid tale of what happened at the Pass. I must say, they really don't do you justice, especially if that vision was anything to go by, Lord Discord."

Platinum's eyes widened as she looked at Discord, realizing he had known her father had not only been outside the tent, but listening the entire time.

"I could say the same, King Bullion," Discord answered with a laugh in his throat, his eyes flashing for emphasis, "Really, if your magic was any stronger, I might just mistake you for an Alicorn."

The king smiled disarmingly, "High praise, but I fear you must be thinking of a younger me," He returned with a chuckle of his own.

'Bullion....Unicorn King, last of the true battlecorns and one of the strongest unicorns to exist, period. He surpasses Starswirl, dwarfs Twilight as a unicorn, is rivaled only by King Sombra in terms of mortals(assuming Shady still counts as mortal) with his skill in offensive magic, making even the mighty Alicorns a bit uncomfortable. Not to mention his white-eyed pupils are a bit disturbing to the average...well, almost anything. Ahhhh, I wish I had met this old goat before he up and vanished in the last timeline,' Discord mused to himself as he stroked his beard.

Safe to say, no one agreed with or believed that self-evaluation much.

Author's Notes:

You would not believe how little there is about King Bullion. Okay, maybe you would, but I swear there was a picture of him once that I can't find anymore. Still, yes, Platinum's father has just arrived and, if it isn't obvious, he and Discord are sizing each other up.....and enjoying Meshen being Meshen

Well, hoped you all enjoyed seeing Discord play through a round of politics in his own unique way. Next chapter will wrap up the meeting with Discord getting some answers to his early questions/observations, which means finding out about Lily Frost being his first sacrifice.

PS About the "everypony wears clothes back than" thing? One, that seems to be true in the Hearth Warming Eve play if you look at the commoners and such- they all have some form of clothing, curiously enough. Might just be winter bt, eh, I like the idea that it became less of a thing with time.

Two, it hasn't come up before because Discord is the main point of view, and its not something he pays a lot of attention to unless it amuses him.